Emperor emeritus Akihito turns 92
· Japan TodayTOKYO — Emperor emeritus Akihito turned 92 on Tuesday after spending the past year reflecting on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, with his condition stable following a new heart diagnosis, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The former emperor and former Empress Michiko followed their son Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's visits earlier this year to Iwoto Island, Okinawa, Hiroshima and Nagasaki to honor the war dead, while also watching television programs conveying the fading history of the war.
On four occasions marking key anniversaries of the war -- Okinawa Memorial Day, the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the anniversary of Japan's surrender -- the former emperor and his wife offered silent prayers, as they do every year, the agency said.
Akihito was diagnosed with asymptomatic myocardial ischemia in May and later began a new course of medication.
His condition has remained relatively stable since starting the new medication regimen. He continues to pursue his life's work on goby fish research, visiting a biology research institute within the Imperial Palace twice a week, it said.
In August, while resting in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, he visited a district where people resettled after returning from northeastern China, once known as Manchuria, and reflected on its history.
He recalled memories of his own wartime evacuation, as well as Japanese descendants he met during a 2016 visit to the Philippines, according to the agency.
When members of foreign royal families visited Japan for the World Exposition in Osaka this year, the former emperor expressed a desire to reunite with Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, with whom he shares long-standing ties. The pair enjoyed a warm conversation at the former emperor's Sento imperial residence.
Regarding the Tokyo Deaflympics in 2025, the former emperor and his wife expressed joy over the event's growth, the agency said.
Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 after a reign of three decades. He was 55 at the time of his succession to the throne from his father, Emperor Hirohito, in 1989.
His wife of 66 years, Michiko turned 91 in October.
© KYODO